The Globe and Mail was granted special access to the critical-care unit at Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and followed patients and families as they confronted one of the most complex questions in health care: How does one prepare for the end of life? One of these patients is Bonnie Isacovics, now 54, who has had multiple sclerosis for 14 years. When she was in critical care, she initially did not want to live if it meant being on a ventilator full time. But then, something changed her mind.

The Globe and Mail gained special access into Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre critical care unit, where a reporter and photographer spent months following four patients facing end of life issues, tracking their experiences in real time.